Chapter 15: Some time later

Screams, flames, and the odor of burning flesh. A small village on the borders of the kingdom of Theorin, in the province of Parvus, was in shambles. The night's veil was disturbed by flickering orange light; the forest surrounding the small village was catching fire, signaling the start of a massive forest fire. The foundations of the houses were on fire; black smoke obstructed vision and ascended into the darkened sky; the moonless night witnessed a massacre.

Clashes of swords, bodies of humans and animals decapitated, or cuts on their bodies were scattered on the ground. Some were dressed in black robes, while others were dressed normally, but there was something odd about some of the bodies; it was their tails, ears, or shape that resembled an animal. The clanking of the swords continued, bringing the sound of despair and misery to those who only saw the silver edge take their lives.

"Shit!" yelled a desperate man as he saw a sharp sword sticking out from the right side of his chest. Dropping his sword, he desperately tried to pull the sword out by grabbing the protruding edge of his chest, only to fall to his knees as his fingers bled.

"Damn you, monster!" Spat the former man's companion, watching his comrade take his last breath on this earth.

A man with reddish hair and cat ears on his head looked at the remaining attackers with his vertical pupil eyes. Withdrawing his sword from the dying man who had fallen to his knees, blood-splattered, staining his cheek, his sweat-damp hair falling over his eyes, as he breathed heavily. However, he thrust his sword forward once more, waiting for the next move of these subjects who had disturbed the peace of his village by murdering men and kidnapping women and children.

As he stood guard, his cat ears twitched as he heard a noise from his side. He moved his right arm quickly to intercept the silver flash that was hurtling like a rocket from the darkness of the smoke, but it wasn't fast enough.

"Arrgh!" exclaimed the man, staring at his arm on the ground, still clutching his sword.

In the reflection of the silver blade, he watched his body as a sword pierced his stomach, splattering blood to the ground as the blade withdrew. He collapsed to his knees, his senses dulled, and all he could feel was the rough earth against his cheek. Only one thought crossed the man's mind as he looked down at the grass that appeared tall from the ground.

'I hope they escaped safely'

As the man took his last breath, a female figure ran barefoot at superhuman speed through the forest. A russet-colored cat slept in her thin white arms, oblivious to all the chaos. She smiled lovingly, not even looking at her path, moving nimbly and almost silently.

'I wouldn't have had to knock you out if you weren't so stubborn.' As she walked away from the screams and destruction, the woman thought with amusement, trying to calm herself.

Her reddish hair fluttered in the wind, the darkness of the night concealing her as she ran to her destination, which was the nearest town, but it would be a journey of more than an hour running, which would be exhausting even for her, a person with a purity level 8. While she was contemplating her next steps after arriving in the city, she failed to notice that the same shadows that had been hiding her began to fluctuate and move, forming the silhouette of a man.

"I think maybe, it would be better-" The woman's world was turned upside down as she pondered aloud.

'Huh?' Was all the woman thought, her body falling on one side and her head on the other.

Ha~ what a waste." Said a man with black hair and a mischievous grin. His black eyes were filled with murderous intent.

Looking at the decapitated body, which was spewing small streams of blood from its neck, the man moved the body with one foot, revealing the small reddish cat. He took it by the neck and looked at it, nodding in approval.

"Well, she's still young, probably a virgin, that would be 1,000 gold pieces, lucky~" smiled the man, just at that moment, footsteps were heard from behind him.

"There you were, Evan." Looking at the decapitated body, a hooded man wrinkled his nose, even more so when he noticed the man in front of him as he looked disdainfully at the body. "You still seem to be suffering from control issues." He said it in a joking tone, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, my clan never taught me how to use these powers, it's hard to be self-taught, you know?" Evan replied with a joke, turning away.

The man raised an eyebrow as he watched the cat being petted by Evan. "New pet?"

"Nah, it's valuable merchandise. " Evan said with a laugh. "Tell everyone it's time to go" He gave an order, starting to walk, a white orb was pulled out of his dimensional ring.

"Where to this time?"

"Hmm, let's go to our headquarters in Luria, I think it's time I paid a visit to an acquaintance there."

'Edith, what would you say if I showed you your dear little Novem's decapitated head? Would you regret abandoning me when those of our clan pushed me aside, or would you crawl on the ground, begging and begging for mercy, as I did?' Evan thought. The man who followed Evan got chills when Evan let out a maniacal laugh.

(***)

A slim but athletic adolescent threw a magic-reinforced hook straight at the woman in front of him. His fist made a slight hissing sound in the air as it traced a perfect curve directly to the black-haired woman's jaw. Despite the superhuman speed with which he threw it, she only turned her head slightly away, avoiding the blow by the tiniest of margins. The wind from the punch ruffled the girl's jet-black hair, but her bored expression remained. The teen took a step forward and used all of his strength to land another hook, this time aimed at the woman's ribs. She raised an eyebrow at his attack, perplexed by his predictable combo.

'The young master never learns.' Novem thought, preparing to deflect the blow.

When she tried to pull her young master down by grabbing his forearm, he used the momentum of the hook to turn and deliver a spinning kick directly to Novem's neck. Not only that, but his foot burst into flames, making a fluttering sound with its lethal and perfect arc. Novem raised her eyebrows in surprise, feeling the heat of the flame quickly approaching her neck, but as calmly as ever, she simply raised her left arm and blocked the kick, letting out a loud noise from the impact. The flames were extinguished as if the oxygen had escaped from the room, leaving only a small amount of smoke on the girl's forearm, who nodded in satisfaction. Nathaniel lunged like a torpedo, throwing punches and kicks as she moved away, giving him room to follow. Novem was taken aback by Nathaniel's significant improvement.

'I knew he had talent, but not at this level.' With a faint smile on her face, Novem reflected. 'He even appears to be receiving outside assistance.' She continued proudly, unconcerned about her young master's thoughts.

'Those power pills are definitely a trap.' Nathaniel pondered. 'Joint state.' He said again, and his eyes widened when he saw their purity level.

[Joint Status Host 1:

Name: Nathaniel Edevane

Age: 12

Strength: Purity level 8

Bloodline: Locked

Heroines conquered: 0

Skills: ( H-resistance) ( Hand-to-hand combat {intermediate}) ( Pleasure touch) ( overload).

Affection points: 40,000.

Fate Points: 0]

But, while Nathaniel marveled at his accomplishment, he made a mistake that cost him dearly, when a blow was caught by Novem's hands, she twisted his grip, and with one fluid motion knocked Nathaniel down, slightly shaking the sand with his crash.

"Again" Novem said monotonously as she helped him up.

"You can do it, big brother!" Cheered Charlotte as she sat outside the fighting ring, her voice, though childish, beginning to sound more like a girl's.

[Joint Status Host 2:

Name: Charlotte Edevane

Age: 10

Strength: Purity level 10

Bloodline: Locked

Heroines conquered: 0

Skills: (Telepathy) (Bow Skill {intermediate}) (Innocent Aura) (Improved Vision)

Affection points: 0

Fate Points: 47,000]

Two years had passed since they had both transmigrated. Nathaniel's body had matured, and he now resembled a man. He still had boyish features on his face, but he was taller than before. Nathaniel lifted his staggering and aching body for another sparring session with Novem, who showed no mercy now that he had almost complete control of his magic. It was unquestionably a Spartan workout.

"Y-you can do it, master!" A blonde-haired girl with light blue eyes whispered shyly, imitating Charlotte.

Aria, dressed as a maid, held a glass of water and a towel as she waited for him to finish training. The former crestfallen girl now had a bright smile on her face, a slim figure, and a slight bulge in her chest, indicating that she was on her way to becoming a beautiful woman. Nathaniel gave her a friendly smile, and she averted her gaze in embarrassment. Nathaniel realized he had underestimated the beauty of his new body; although he was still young, his face was already attractive enough to draw the attention of many maids in the mansion; it was a little awkward for him at first, but he wasn't particularly displeased.

"In battle, never lose focus." Novem chastised him before slamming her fist into Nathaniel's unprotected stomach, causing him to collapse to his knees on the ground.

'She didn't even give me a chance to gather my daggers.' Nathaniel grumbled mentally, his daggers lying on the ground a few meters away. Nathaniel had lost them in the course of his battle, Novem, on the other hand, fought bare-handed.

"You're cruel." He coughed, trying not to vomit his breakfast.

Novem realized she had been too rough and reached down, placing her slender hand on Nathaniel's back, rubbing his back while she waited for him to recover. Nathaniel had grown accustomed to activating the 'Touch of pleasure' skill whenever he came into contact with Novem, and she had developed a kind of addiction to caressing him, which was beneficial to Nathaniel's plans.

"Are you okay?" she inquired, running her hand down his slender but toned back.

"I'm fine, thank you." Nathaniel smiled at her as he looked into her eyes, and while her expression remained unaffected, the system warned him that his smile was turning into a lady-killer.

+100 affection points.

Character information'

[Name: Novem Umbra

Age: 26

Strength: Purity level 5

Titles: Prodigy of the shadow clan. Master of the daggers.

Bloodline: Shadow world

Love: 30% Sweetheart (She appreciates you as a disciple, she has a strange obsession with caressing your head.]

Novem progress was going well. Nathaniel's body had grown, making it relatively easier for him to advance on her; 5% of her affection for Nathaniel was acquired this month, a significant improvement compared to the slow progress he had suffered thus far. Novem appeared to be feeling guilty for punching him so hard, so she stroked his head and spoke in the softest voice she could muster.

"Let's call it a day." She straightened up and smiled slightly, her slim figure highlighting her tits that bounced with her sudden movement.

Nathaniel noticed this but quickly averted his gaze. 'I hate puberty' He cursed.

Yes..." He nodded absently as he sighed shaking his head, and looked at the ground, diverting his attention from Novem's figure.

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Sorry for the late update, my move coincided with my final exams and it has been consuming all my time. So I apologize if I'm late again in uploading a chapter (possibly next week I'll upload only 1 or at worst none at all) But it hasn't dropped, I intend to finish this novel.

That topic aside, My first fight scene! I hope I didn't suck, feel free to give me tips or the like.